2018 Audi A7 Sedan

8.6

Overview

The Audi A7 is definitely a beauty whether the exteriors or the interiors. The car is well-equipped with all the technology which makes it at par with the competition. Every aspect of the Audi from design to performance is well thought of.

Prestige quattro 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl S/C 8A)

Expert Review

carhp editorOctober 6, 2018

8.6

Overall Rating

8.1/10Features

8.4/10Engine

7.3/10Fuel Economy

8.5/10Interior

9.9/10Exterior

The Audi A7 is a car which can be called the perfect amalgamation of style and performance. The A7 is designed to be a masterpiece which its simple straight lines under the shoulder line but the swooping roofline which almost terminates at the tip of the boot.

The 2018 Audi A7 offers a mesmerizing design not just on the outside but on the inside too. The car is loaded with all the features and luxury to give the competition a big hit. The turbocharged 3.0-litre TFSI motor along with the famous Quattro makes it quite capable whether on city roads or an enthusiastic drive in the country.

Features

8.1/10

The Audi A7 comes in two trims, the premium plus and the prestige. Both are powered by the same engine and the feature list is almost the same except the prestige gets a head-up display, power door closers, and corner view camera system. The premium plus is priced at $69,700 and the prestige at $72,400 which makes it the most value for money option among the competition.

Trims

Premium Plus

Prestige

MSRP

$69,700

$72,400

Features

MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch

Audi side assist with pre sense rear

LED headlights

Power tailgate with hands-free release

Parking system plus with rearview camera

Everything on Premium Plus and:

MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch

Audi side assist with pre sense rear

Head-up display with navigation information

Corner view camera system

Power door closers

Engine

8.4/10

The Audi A7 comes with a 3.0-litre TFSI 6 cylinder engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The motor produces 340 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque which is very much on the lower side when compared to its competition but it' s the most value for its price.

Model

Audi A7 (Premium Plus)

Mercedes-Benz CLS (550)

BMW 6-Series (640i xDrive Gran Turismo)

Porsche Panamera

MSRP

$69,700

$75,150

$70,200

$85,000

Engine

3.0L TFSI

6 Cylinder

4.7L V8 Biturbo

3.0L TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder

3.0L Turbocharged V6

Transmission

8-Speed Automatic

9-Speed Automatic

8-Speed Automatic

8-Speed Automatic

Power

340 hp

402 hp

335 hp

330 hp

Torque

325 lb-ft

443 lb-ft

332 lb-ft

331 lb-ft

The Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 which is one of the competitors comes with a bigger and more powerful 4.7 liter V8 bi-turbo mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission. The Merc produces 402 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque which is way more than our vehicle in focus i.e. the A7 but it all comes at an extra cost of $5450.

The BMW 640i xDrive Gran Tourismo and the Porsche Panamera are both almost identical when it comes to power and torque figures. Although, the BMW costs similar to the Audi, the Panamera costs a whopping $15,300 more than the A7. If we look at the value for money among all these vehicles, the A7 clearly comes out as a winner.

ACCELERATION

The A7 is a fast car but it lacks just a tad bit among the competition. The A 7 is slower than the Merc and BMW but only slightly while it's faster than the Porsche from 0-60 mph. The quarter-mile time is also not very impressive and the A7 is the slowest in the lot but still manages a good time of 14.8 seconds at 100.9 mph.

The emissions are also less than the Mercedes but still at par or higher than the BMW and Porsche. Again, despite not being faster or greener than its competition, the A7 still proves to be a good value car.

Model

Audi A7 (Premium Plus)

Mercedes-Benz CLS (550)

BMW 6-Series (640i xDrive Gran Turismo)

Porsche Panamera

0 - 60 mph

5.2 sec

4.9 sec

5.1 sec

5.4 sec

Quarter Mile

14.8 sec @ 100.9 mph

13.7 sec @ 102.5 mph

14.1 sec @ 96.5 mph

14 sec @ 101.4 mph

Engine

3.0L

4.7L

3.0L

3.0L

Emission

(Tons/yr of CO2 Emissions @ 15K mi/year)

7.7

8.4

7.7

7.3

BRAKING

The Audi A7 comes with 14.0 inches diameter front brakes and 13.0 inches rear brakes which are fairly large for a vehicle and are clearly better than the rest of the competition. The 60-0 mph distance is 109 ft. which is only better than the Porsche but slightly worse than the German counterparts.

Model

Audi A7 (Premium Plus)

Mercedes-Benz CLS (550)

BMW 6-Series (640i xDrive Gran Turismo)

Porsche Panamera

60 - 0 mph (ft.)

109

104

106

113

Curb Weight (lbs.)

4255

4158

4409

4001

Brake (Front)

14.0

14.2

13.7

13.8

Brake (Rear)

13.0

12.6

13.6

13.0

The BMW, despite being a heavier car is still quicker to stop from 60-0 mph which makes the Audi an underperformer when it comes to braking. Overall, the Audi does not surprise us with extraordinary numbers but performs average.

Fuel Economy

7.3/10

Fuel economy is where the Audi performs better than the competition with a city mileage of 20 MPG, highway mileage of 29 MPG and a combined mileage of 23 MPG.

Model

Audi A7 (Premium Plus)

Mercedes-Benz CLS (550)

BMW 6-Series (640i xDrive Gran Turismo)

Porsche Panamera

MPG (City)

20

18

19

21

MPG (Hwy)

29

26

27

28

MPG (Combined)

23

21

22

24

The figures are far better than the Mercedes and are almost similar to the BMW but the Porsche is a slightly more economical car than the Audi. However, the Audi is still slightly more powerful than the Porsche which makes it a better performer here.

Interior

8.5/10

"Impeccably crafted and generally easy to use for a luxury car, but the A7 does suffer for its sleek styling. Getting in and out of the back seat is tricky, while headroom back there is compromised." - Edmunds

SEATING AND COMFORT

The Audi is a luxurious and comfortable car which can seat 4 persons. The car is quite spacious with its 105.8 cubic feet of passenger volume. The interiors are loaded with all the latest technology which is expected from a car like this.

Model

Audi A7 (Premium Plus)

Mercedes-Benz CLS (550)

BMW 6-Series (640i xDrive Gran Turismo)

Porsche Panamera

Passenger Capacity

4

4

5

4

Passenger Volume (Ft.3)

105.8

104.3

103.6

105.9

Headroom (Front/Rear) (in.)

36.9/36.6

36.9/36.1

39.4/38.5

38.0/38.2

Legroom (Front/Rear) (in.)

41.3/37.0

42.1/35.0

41.1/40.4

41.9/33.3

Shoulder Room (Front/Rear) (in.)

57.2/55.9

57.1/56.5

60.0/57.1

51.9/51.7

The comfort features for the passengers include leather seats, eight-way adjustable power front seats with four-way power adjustable driver lumbar support, heated front seats, driver seat memory and split folding rear seats. It also has a four zone automatic climate control for the comfort of every passenger. The natural wood inlays, sunroof and ambient interior LED lights also give the Audi a comfortable and luxurious touch.

However, the headroom on the BMW and Porsche is slightly better. The BMW is the winner here as it' s a bigger car and comes with roomier interiors. The Audi is still not very far behind.

The storage space in the Audi A7 is 24.5 cubic feet which is quite impressive. The trunk space in Audi is better than the Mercedes and the Porsche but BMW is the best if you need a huge trunk for your journeys with 31 cubic feet capacity.

Model

Audi A7 (Premium Plus)

Mercedes-Benz CLS (550)

BMW 6-Series (640i xDrive Gran Turismo)

Porsche Panamera

Trunk Vol. (Ft.3)

24.5

15.3

31.0

17.6/47.3(w/seats folded)

The Porsche can also be useful because its trunk can be expanded by folding the rear seats, increasing the storage space to an enormous 47.3 cubic feet. BMW is the best if you want a large trunk and seat 4-5 people at the same time.

Exterior

9.9/10

"The A7 has not only been a success for Audi, but it has inspired numerous copycats. The A7's fastback roofline is everywhere, from humble compact sedans to fellow luxury models." -Edmunds

DIMENSIONS

The Audi A7 is a large vehicle but is equally beautiful with its long hood, sweeping roofline and well carved and elegant Audi looks. The dimensions of the Audi are not radically different from the competition but the BMW is about 5 inches higher which will give it a better headroom. The ground clearance, however, is the least at just 4.4 inches which can definitely make you look out for any potholes.

Model

Audi A7 (Premium Plus)

Mercedes-Benz CLS (550)

BMW 6-Series (640i xDrive Gran Turismo)

Porsche Panamera

Curb Weight (lbs.)

4255

4158

4409

4001

Wheelbase (in)

114.7

113.2

120.9

116.1

Length (in)

196.2

194.5

200.9

198.8

Width (in)

75.2

74.1

74.9

76.3

Height (in)

55.9

55.8

60.6

56.0

Ground Clearance (in)

4.4

5.1

5.0

4.5

Track Width - Front (in)

64.7

62.9

63.7

65.8

Track Width - Rear (in)

64.4

64.1

65.0

65.0

The Audi is designed as a masterpiece and will definitely make you fall in love with its looks. The car comes with all-led headlamps and tail lamps, a beautiful roofline making it look almost like a coupe and the simple yet elegant design.

Safety

The Audi comes loaded with safety features which are essential for a car of this capability. The safety feature list is long including airbags for knees and head, tire pressure monitoring system, electromechanical parking brake and so on. The list of all the safety features include the following-

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with secondary collision brake assist and traction control (ASR)

Anti-theft alarm system with immobilizer

Tire-pressure monitoring system

Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) in rear seats

Electromechanical parking brake

Safety belt reminder for driver and front passenger

Competition

2017 AUDI A7 VS MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 550

The CLS 550 is among the leading cars in this segment which can also be attributed to its German pedigree. The Mercedes is the best car in the lot in terms of Performance but is a bit expensive than others. It also doesn' t perform wonders when it comes to other aspects like spaciousness, fuel economy and trunk volume.

The Mercedes is also a beautiful car to look at, thanks to its elegant curvy lines and swooping roofline just like the Audi. It is very difficult to decide which one looks better and that choice can be left to the individual.

2017 AUDI A7 VS BMW 640i xDrive GRAN TOURISMO

BMW is undoubtedly one of the best GT cars in the market and is also the most identical to the Audi A7. The performance, fuel economy and dimensions are almost similar to the Audi except for a few anomalies. It also proves better in terms of spaciousness because of its high stance and expansive exteriors.

The trunk space in the BMW is also far better than the whole competition which makes it the ideal Grand Tourer. Moreover, at a price almost similar to the Audi, the BMW has an upper hand.

2017 AUDI A7 VS PORSCHE PANAMERA

The Porsche is another great car in the segment but it feels quite overpriced as compared to the competition. It is not the fastest or the most spacious car in the lot. The only positive is the fuel economy and the expandable trunk space. Otherwise, the car is either at par or a little under the competitors.

One can go for the Porsche because of the brand value attached to it but at about $15,000 more than the Audi and $10,000 than the Mercedes, the Porsche is just the same car with a heavier price tag. The individual preferences, however, can make you go for it.

Final Verdict

The Audi A7 is definitely a beauty whether the exteriors or the interiors. The car is well-equipped with all the technology which makes it at par with the competition. Every aspect of the Audi from design to performance is well thought of. Except being a little down on performance when compared to its tough competitors like the Mercedes CLS 550, it is very difficult to find any flaws in the Audi A7.

The A7 is perfect from luxury to performance and from design to capability. What makes the Audi a potential threat to the other cars in the segment is the price tag. The Audi costs less than the Mercedes and the BMW and way less than the Porsche but it has similar capabilities. So, expect if you are a true fan of the Porsche, the BMW, and the Mercedes, the best choice would be the Audi A7.